Hikari Tsushin Inc. Buys 33,950 Shares of Zoetis Inc. $ZTS

Hikari Tsushin Inc. boosted its position in shares of Zoetis Inc. (NYSE:ZTS) by 450.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,494 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 33,950 shares during the quarter. Zoetis accounts for approximately 0.4% of Hikari Tsushin Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Hikari Tsushin Inc.’s holdings in Zoetis were worth $6,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ZTS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Zoetis by 180.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 2,978 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Zoetis by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,859,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 17.2% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Zoetis by 73.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 1,422 shares during the period. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Zoetis by 11.6% during the second quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. 92.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on ZTS. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Zoetis in a report on Thursday. HSBC set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Zoetis in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Zoetis to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $190.00) on shares of Zoetis in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Zoetis from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Zoetis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $152.91.

Zoetis Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE ZTS opened at $129.65 on Friday. Zoetis Inc. has a one year low of $115.25 and a one year high of $177.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 1.94 and a current ratio of 3.03. The company has a market capitalization of $54.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.28.

Zoetis (NYSE:ZTS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. Zoetis had a net margin of 28.24% and a return on equity of 62.02%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.40 EPS. Zoetis has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-7.100 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Zoetis Inc. will post 6.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Zoetis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Zoetis’s payout ratio is presently 35.22%.

Zoetis Profile

Zoetis Inc (NYSE: ZTS) is a global animal health company that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of products and services for companion animals and livestock. The company’s offerings include pharmaceuticals, vaccines and biologics, parasiticides and anti-infectives, as well as diagnostic instruments, consumables and laboratory testing services. Zoetis serves the veterinary community, livestock producers and other animal-health customers with products designed to prevent, detect and treat disease and to support animal productivity and welfare.

Zoetis traces its roots to the animal health business of Pfizer and became an independent, publicly traded company following a 2013 separation and initial public offering.